Walton College Honors Exceptional Students and Alumni

Courtesy of Sam M. Walton College of Business

From left: alumni Luke Briggs, Julie Barber and Randy Lawson.

On Wednesday, April 24, the Sam M. Walton College of Business gathered to recognize the formidable achievements of alumni and students at its 31st Annual Student and Alumni Awards Ceremony. 

ALUMNI AWARDS

Every year, faculty, staff and alumni submit nominations in service, entrepreneurship and lifetime achievement categories. Dean Brent Williams chooses the winners.

The Walton College was honored to recognize the following alumni achievements:

Lifetime Achievement Award – Randy Lawson: Chairman/CEO, Lawco Exploration, Inc., Bentonville, Arkansas. Lawson earned a B.S.B.A. in economics from Walton College in 1981.

Entrepreneur of the Year Award –  Luke Briggs: CEO/founder, New Nexus Group, Rogers, Arkansas. Briggs earned an M.B.A. in 2010 from Walton College.

Outstanding Service Award – Julie Barber: EVP, general merchandise, Walmart, Bentonville, Arkansas. Barber earned a B.S.B.A. in marketing from Walton College in 2004.

STUDENT AWARDS

Undergraduate and graduate students were honored in individual academic business disciplines and as senior scholars and first-ranked senior scholars. In addition, the college presented the following individual student awards:

• Presidential Scholar: Katherine Ford
• Beta Gamma Sigma Award: Abby Garretson
• Sam M. Walton College of Business Student Leadership Award: Kennedy Blair
• Doyle Z. Williams Student Leadership Award: Jackson Walton
• Outstanding Graduating Senior: Allie Rosen

Please visit the official awards recognition website for a complete list of student award winners and a video of the in-person awards celebration.

About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business is AACSB-accredited and ranks among the top business schools in the nation. The Walton College is the largest college at the University of Arkansas, serving nearly 9,000 undergraduate, master's and doctoral students. The Walton College is recognized among U.S. News & World Report's 2023 "Best Business Schools," and its undergraduate supply chain management program was ranked No. 1 in North America by Gartner. The college's Master of Business Administration program was also ranked No. 11 for best return on investment by The Wall Street Journal. The Princeton Review ranked the college's graduate entrepreneurship program as one of the top in the country for the first time in the 2022-23 year. And in partnership with the Global Campus, the U of A's online business degree program ranked No. 12 nationally among 214 institutions by U.S. News in 2023.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.